Oppose H-2B foreign worker increases

I am disappointed that some in Congress are pushing for the FY2017 DHS appropriations bill to quadruple H-2B numbers to 264,000. Doing so would harm all American workers, especially lower-skilled and less-educated Americans. Please do all you can to ensure the FY2017 DHS appropriations bill doesn’t increase H-2B numbers.

As H-2B visas typically cover seasonal, entry-level, or unskilled jobs, these visas disproportionately harm young Americans. Increasing H-2B visa numbers would prevent thousands more young Americans from entering the workplace.

The most recent U-6 unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show just how difficult it is for young Americans and less-educated Americans to find work. According to the BLS, 16.4% of young Americans (18-29) who have not graduated high school are unemployed. When only native-born Americans are taken into account, this figure jumps to 20.0%. Young Americans with only a high school diploma have a U-6 unemployment rate of 11.3% and young native-born Americans have a rate of 11.8%

Investigative reports have shown that businesses are more than willing to fire American workers when H-2B workers become available. It’s clear that the H-2B program, which is fraught with abuse, harms young Americans and should not be expanded. I urge you to oppose efforts to expand the program as part of the FY2017 DHS appropriations bill.